Honda Racing has decided to play Stefan Bradl on the wildcard at the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend. Thus, at the start of Circuito de Jerez there will be 5 combat Honda RC213Vs. Why is this necessary, since Marc Marquez is back in service? Will explain.
The real reason for this wildcard is a kind of “backup” for Honda pilots, if this stage for them suddenly turns into a total failure.
Stefan Bradl became part of the MotoGP paddock again after Marquez’s injury – 10 races in 2020 For the HRC representatives, the first two races in Qatar were another fiasco. LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez and LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami had the worst performers since the start of their Premier Class careers – they didn’t score a point. Repsol Honda rookie Paul Espargaro has not yet had time to get involved in work and cannot fully “replace” Marc Marquez. Mark’s results in Portimao turned out to be higher than expected: he became the best driver in Honda – finishing 6th, earning the plant 9 points. However, he is not physically ready to fight for the victory and the podium. Plus, there may be some flashbacks in Jerez related to the events of July 2020, when Mark suffered his most serious injury there. What are flashbacks in motorsport?
These “bad memories” can affect Marquez’s performance in a purely psychological way, as was the case with Jorge Lorenzo in his relationship with TT Circuit Assen. After a high-speed highside in the free practice of the 2013 Dutch Grand Prix, Jorge began to experience a painful fear of racing at the TT Circuit Assen, and if it started raining there, he generally lost the ability to drive for the result – and this continued until 2016, when he said goodbye to Yamaha. Moreover, if the first year Jorge was silent about the reasons for the sharp decline in productivity, then in 2015 he admitted: yes, he constantly remembers the moment of the accident and the pain he experienced as a result of the fall, as well as after the operation, when he immediately wanted to return to duty … In that race, he finished 5th, however, after the finish he was literally removed from the motorcycle – he himself could not move because of the terrible pain in his left shoulder. The situation with Marc Marquez is akin to that of Lorenzo in 2013. The fact is that until the weekend in Jerez begins, no one is sure whether Mark can overcome this natural fear of new pain or not. a chance to work as a prize pilot for at least one more season.
To be on the safe side, Honda puts Bradl out. And Stefan will be wearing Team HRC (test team) colors, not Repsol Honda.
Stefan Bradl Testing the Honda RC213V Prototype After Marquez’s return to the Portuguese Grand Prix, Stefan Bradl was able to return to his direct job as a Honda test driver. But for all the time that he replaced Marquez, he has greatly increased his level, so he brought enough points to the piggy bank of the factory in 2020. Bradl also finished the first two races of 2021 in Qatar wearing glasses. In particular, he finished the Doha Grand Prix in 9th place. Of course, Honda could have exhibited Bradl in Portimao. But the choice in favor of Jerez is obvious: Stefan spent almost the entire winter here, preparing the prototype of Marc Marquez for the new season; here Bradl is doing quite well on the whole – he can really earn valuable points for Honda if the prize drivers fail. Worst season for Honda in MotoGP history
Honda suffered a crushing defeat in 2020 due to the absence of Marquez in the World Championship: the Japanese plant finished the season in the penultimate, 5th position in the Manufacturers’ Cup, behind only Aprilia. In a short season, the rest of the Honda drivers were able to bring the plant only 144 points. By comparison, in 2019, Marquez alone scored 400 points, and Honda’s total Constructors’ Championship reached 426 points – 105 points more than Yamaha and 108 points more than Ducati. According to the regulations, only one is taken into account in the Cup of Manufacturers – the best result of the plant’s representative at the end of the race. That is, if three pilots of the same brand climbed to the podium at once, only 25 points of the winner will still be counted. Well, if the fastest representative of the plant was 10th, then 6 points will be taken into account, regardless of how the others finished. At the moment, Honda has only 55 points in the piggy bank, and the plant closes the list of 6 manufacturers – a situation absolutely unacceptable from the point of view of the company, which usually fights for the Triple Crown in the championship – all three titles – in individual and team events, as well as the Cup manufacturers.